Stormy, Stormy Night

Ella is roused from her sleep by her friend Ava.

The crash of thunder and urgent tap of rain broke the silence, a steady crescendo roaring to its peak. Ella groaned, nestling deeper into the cushions. Short, ink-stained fingers curled tighter around the blanket, pulling the cloth further off her body and closer to her face. Somewhere, in another world sleepy senses registered the warmth and crackle of the fire beating against firmly shut eyelids. Whatever the hour, it was too soon to awaken.

 

Apparently the fates did not agree with Ella’s hypothesis. A hand, meant to be warm and gentle, pushed lightly against her shoulder. For a moment Ella forgot her surroundings and turned to confront the visitor. Time seemed to slow as panic rushed Ella’s heart, a product of the sudden and unwelcome sensation of falling. The unnatural redhead tumbled to the floor, managing to bang her head against the coffee table in the process.

 

“What could possibly possess someone to push a poor girl off a couch in the middle of the night?” Ella grumbled to herself as she sat up, rubbing her head and squinting her eyes. The long, thin silhouette of Ava came into view as the sleep cleared from Ella’s eyes. Ella was a heavy sleeper: the type of person who not only relished sleep, but despised all who might disturb her slumber.

 

“Ella, you fell asleep on the couch again.”

 

“Oh really? Had I? I hadn’t noticed.” Ella snapped at the younger girl. She didn’t feel the slightest bit sorry for her fowl mood. As her closest friend, Ava should have known better. Ella could have fallen asleep on the dining table right before a meal; it still wouldn’t justify rousing her.

 

After a certain point in life, it becomes difficult to wake up on a couch. A body, no longer fit and spry, feels every ache and every pressure of the night before. For Ella, that age had been 23. Despite being at the beginning of her life chronologically, Ella’s body still betrayed her with aching muscles and stiff joints. She stood and stretched, making an inverted arch starting at her finger tips and ending in her toes. A cacophany of pops reverberated up her body as bones slid back into place. Ella exhaled loudly, let her arms fall to her legs, attempting to touch her feet with her hands. “Well, you’ve got me up. Please tell me my sleep was not interrupted in vain.”

 

Outside, the rain continued to pelt the window. Once upon a time, the drops would have formed rivlets down the pane. Now, the rain was coming down in torrents turning the window into a wide, swift-moving verticle river of water. In the distance lightning cracked against some unseen object, sending a shock of light and a deep-throated rumble across the valley. Ella shivered despite the warmth of the fire. There was something about summer storms that made her feel tired. The perceived wet and cold weasled its way into her bones, causing Ella to snatch up her blanket. She wrapped the soft, warm fabric around her shoulders, relishing the feel of a soft blanket and warm fire on a miserable night.

Author's Note

I imagine Ella as being sort of like a drunk roused from sleep...except she hasn't been drinking. Is it believable?

Reviews

[Starry Eyed]

Woah, my eyes were reading til' the end, great job! A fasntastic write